Russia to draft 133,000 for military service amid escalating Ukraine conflict
Starting October 1 through December 31, 2024, Russia will draft 133,000 individuals into military service as per a presidential decree issued by Vladimir Putin. The decree was published on Monday, September 30, on the official legal information portal.
The conscription mandate targets Russian citizens aged 18 to 30, who are not in the reserves and are eligible for draft, the document specifies. Concurrently, soldiers, sailors, sergeants, and warrant officers who have completed their mandatory service will be discharged. The decree took effect immediately.
Meanwhile, the Russian General Staff has assured that new conscripts will not be deployed to Ukraine for combat. According to a statement by Deputy Chief of the Main Organizational and Mobilization Directorate, Vladimir Tsimlyansky, conscripts will not be sent to the regions annexed by Russia from Ukraine.
"The term of conscription remains unchanged at 12 months, with draft allocations scheduled to begin on October 15, 2024," Tsimlyansky added. Additionally, he mentioned that the upcoming fall draft will feature an option for conscripts to appeal draft board decisions out of court. Summonses will be issued "in paper form," he noted.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to address journalists’ questions on whether new conscripts will be deployed to the Kursk region. "These details need to be clarified with the Ministry of Defense," he responded.
For context, this spring, 150,000 individuals were conscripted into mandatory service, compared to 130,000 last fall, as reported by Interfax.
Since August 6, Ukrainian forces have been conducting operations in Russia's Kursk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the action as a "preventive strike" aimed at thwarting the occupation of the Ukrainian city of Sumy. Zelensky also noted that the offensive served to show Russian society that President Putin is more focused on holding captured Ukrainian territories than on protecting his own people.
From August 9, the Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk regions have been under counter-terrorism operations. Sources from Bloomberg reveal that the Russian Ministry of Defense opted not to redeploy troops from the Donbas front line to Kursk, instead using conscripted soldiers in this operation.